Afghan Boy Survives Two-Hour Kabul–Delhi Flight Hidden in Plane’s Landing Gear
In an extraordinary incident, a 13-year-old boy from Kunduz, Afghanistan, managed to survive a two-hour flight from Kabul to Delhi by hiding inside the landing gear compartment of a Kam Air aircraft. The boy sneaked into Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul without a ticket or documents, blended in with other passengers, and eventually concealed himself in the rear wheel-well of flight RQ-4401 bound for India.
The flight landed at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport between 10:20 am and 11:00 am. Shortly after landing, ground staff noticed the boy wandering near the aircraft and immediately alerted the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). He was detained and questioned by officials. During interrogation, the boy revealed that he had boarded the flight purely out of curiosity and believed it was heading to Iran.
A red-colored speaker was also found in the wheel-well, believed to belong to the boy. Aviation experts noted that surviving such a journey is extremely rare, as landing gear compartments face extreme cold, lack of oxygen, and high mechanical risk. The fact that the boy emerged unharmed makes this case particularly remarkable.
Following the discovery, the aircraft underwent a thorough security check and was later cleared for service. On the same day, authorities arranged for the boy to be repatriated back to Kabul.
This daring yet dangerous journey has drawn global attention, highlighting both the risks of stowaway travel and the boy’s astonishing survival.